Faces
by Praeludium
Summary: An incident with Mateo lead Naomi to an interesting discovery concerning Elena, and Naomi's not going to miss her chance having some innocent fun with it at the expense of her friends.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** I needed a break from studying, so I wrote this. I hope you all enjoy.

 **Edit (2018/02):** Changed title from _Faces:Phases_ to just _Faces_.

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Naomi chuckled to herself as she sat on a stone wall by the pier, watching her dad's ship gradually disappear into the horizon. Her dad was off to an event on an island a few ways from Avalor—a merchant convention, if you will. It was held annually. Normally, she would be coming with her dad. She loved the place. They always had novel stuff she wouldn't even have thought existed, like the rapid-fire crossbow she bought the last time she went. The surprise on her dad's face when she had told him she wasn't coming this year was understandable—her deciding not to go was just unthinkable. "I found something a lot more interesting here, and it just can't wait," she had told him with a wide smirk.

Okay. Rewind. On the afternoon of the day before, the usual foursome, Gabe, Mateo, Elena, and she, had the pleasure of helping out a local dance school with its animal problems. They quickly took care of the cause of the frequent bear attacks the school has had—but that's besides the point. The highlight, at least to Naomi, was when Señora Lana insisted that she would teach them dancing the rest of the afternoon for their trouble. The señora was a woman around forty; she was friendly and funny, if not incredibly pushy. Some would say she was a bit of an eccentric. She was an immigrant from a neighbouring nation. She came from a long line of dancers, apparently, and she inherited her family's style—which was what the four had been made (forced) to learn.

"It is a story," Señora Lana explained, "You don't just tell the story through the dance. You _feel_ it. You _believe_ it. You _become_ it." She spouted all sorts of monologue while swinging Gabe around the room demonstrating the "untamed surge of emotion" that should emanate from the dance. She had talked for at least an hour, with most of her words flying over their heads, before they had even started learning steps. At that point they had wanted nothing more than to escape, but they couldn't.

"It's okay. We could just play along until it's over," whispered Mateo optimistically while Lana was skipping around the room with Gabe. "How hard could it be?" he added.

"I guarantee you'll be eating those words once you start prancing around with her," Naomi replied while pointing to the instructor.

"Although I do admit watching Gabe being handled like a rag doll is hilarious," said Naomi, to which all three of them laughed. The laughter, however, didn't last long as the señora approached and put her hand on Mateo's shoulder.

"Your turn."

Mateo gulped at the sound of the two words—it was like elementary all over again, when it's his turn to recite poetry in front of the class. Who knew a greater dread could be summoned from those two words outside his awkward grade school days. Naomi and Elena could barely keep their laughter in check.

Lana then scanned each of them from head to toe. "You," she said, reaching a decision and grasping Naomi's arm, "You will be his partner." Elena used a hand to cover the smile cracking up on her face as her friends were dragged to the centre of the room.

"Princess Elena, the other boy will be _your_ partner," said Lana, pointing her chin at Gabe who was sprawled on the floor catching his breath. Turning back to Naomi and Mateo, she commented out of the blue, "You lack intimacy _._ "

She proceeded to push Naomi and Mateo together like a sandwich, "Closer! Closer!"

To their, surprise, the señora's overbearing teaching style was effective; it didn't take long for Naomi and Mateo to be able to dance through a good portion of the music—something Lana called the "Part A" and the recurring "main theme."

"I will teach the dance up to this point," she said, letting Naomi and Mateo take a break, starting to teach Elena and Gabe the same routine.

"Our turn to laugh, Elena," said Naomi, sticking her tongue out.

They watched as Elena and Gabe were put through exceedingly, uncomfortable and tight positions wherein they were practically tangled up in each other.

"I can't believe we danced _that,_ " Mateo told Naomi, who was sitting beside him on the floor, as Gabe and Elena finished a set.

"You better believe it, young man," said Lana, misinterpreting Mateo's comment, "It's a masterpiece that's said to be choreographed by the angels themselves."

"I have a hard time imagining angels dancing _this_ ," Naomi quietly remarked.

"Break's over for you two," said Lana, "It is time we infuse the emotion into your dance."

They groaned after having realised that they weren't done.

"To put it bluntly," Lana began, "Your dancing now is just a dead shell. It has to be brought to life by _emotion_. Only then can the dance tell its story." Lana swung her arms in exaggerated motions while explaining "emotion" and how it "flows" as "energy" while dancing. "To tell the story, you must _be_ the story," was the final takeaway to her enthusiastic lecture. What she said might sound symbolic, but she applied it literally.

"Right now, you are lovers Estella and Leo, fighting passionately against all odds for your forbidden love affair." Directing her words now to Leo, err, Mateo, she coached as Mateo and Naomi were dancing, "Leo is a firm and dominant male, he knows what he wants. No man can match the hunger Leo had for Estella's love. He asserts his way. You must embody this!"

"I need to what?" Mateo exclaimed incredulously, causing his friends to snicker.

"Come on, Mateo. _Just play along. How hard could it be_ ," teased Naomi as she was being dipped low.

"I'll drop you."

"Can you?" replied Naomi, calling his bluff.

"Yes, that is the way! I can sense the sensual tension!" This woman was straight up borderline; any more and they would think that she's a complete loon. "Estella is also a dominant type. She wanted everything Leo could offer, and she wants to have it in her own terms. Which is why, at this part of the dance, it is not uncommon that Estella would bury her fingers in Leo's hair and pull him close to the neck." She took Naomi's free hand and placed it on the back of Mateo's neck, then applied force such that Mateo's nose touched Naomi's neck. "It is a clash between two dominant forces resulting in a swelling of powerful emotion."

It went without saying that this was extremely awkward for both Naomi and Mateo. Naomi felt her heart beat probably as hard as the introverted Mateo, who looked like he could have a seizure at any moment now. A creeping blush swept her cheeks. She tried to play it cool. This shouldn't be a big deal to her—it was just Mateo. She's totally cool with _just_ this level proximity—not. Naomi, despite her adventurous and outgoing nature, is actually fairly conservative, and she's barely within her comfort zone at this point. The only thing keeping her facade of composure up was that thought that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she broke before Mateo. She found a bit of solace from the sense of superiority she got from teasing Mateo.

"You're redder than a tomato. You allergic to girls or something? Come on, this is the last part. Let's just get it over with."

Mateo took this as a challenge, and, following Lana's instruction, pretended to kiss her neck. This was getting too weird even for Naomi. Hopefully, she wasn't as red as Mateo—she'd never hear the end of it from Gabe. She stole a glance at Elena and Gabe to gauge their reaction. She hummed shortly, as if discovering something, after seeing _the_ cheerful and playful Elena, slightly scrunching her eyebrows and anxiously biting her lower lip in a tiny frown. _The_ Elena, showing a face like _that_ in reaction to a situation as ridiculous and potentially hilarious as _this,_ did not make sense to Naomi. It was either Elena was really prudish, or…

Naomi felt a corner of her mouth curve upward.

"Bravo! I felt the passion in your dance. You both played Leo and Estella beautifully. If you aren't a couple already, I guarantee that you will be a great one should you choose to be—and I'm never wrong about this. You two show excellent chemistry," Lana congratulated them proudly.

Naomi glanced at her best friend upon hearing this and saw Elena fiddling with her necklace, which made her smirk even wider.

Just as Gabe and Elena were about to be coached on doing their own "infusing of emotion" into their dance, they heard what sounded like a huge bell from upstairs.

"Oh, that's the school bell. I've set it to strike every 9 o'clock. It's getting late but, surely you'd want to continue?"

Elena quickly jumped at the offer to leave. "Aaaaactually, I think we should be leaving. It was fun, but we have a busy day tomorrow. Can't have too much fun today, could we?" Elena made sure that she that the conversation was in her control, leaving only the minimum window of time for short replies. She gathered her friends and rushed them out the door while saying her thank you's and goodbye's to Señora Lana.

"Be sure to visit again! You're always welcome to learn more of the dance," they heard Lana shout from afar. They waved while increasing their pace, not wanting anything more to do with the school today.

"Well… that was different," said Gabe, shuddering from the memory of his recent dance lesson.

"I'll say," said Elena, crossing her arms, "She made us do some crazy stuff. What kind of school was she running? She seriously needs to tone it down… _way_ down." Elena then turned to her two friends who had had it worse, "You two okay?"

"Peachy," replied Naomi, grinning.

"Don't tell me you actually enjoyed it?" laughed Elena.

 _You're too wide open, Elena_ , thought Naomi. No, she didn't enjoy the lesson—what she did enjoy was the discovery she made during it. She wanted to do one last test to confirm, and Elena just gave her the perfect opportunity to do so. She took and hugged Mateo's right arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do so. _Now, for the_ _pièce de résistance!_ She released a girly, flirtatious giggle uncharacteristic of her and replied, "I can't say I hated it. Mateo turned out to be quite the suave partner."

"Give me a break already," squirmed Mateo, flushing from the sudden intimate contact.

It was only for a second, but Naomi, with her honed, adventurer senses, was able to see Elena flinch when she got close to Mateo. _I've got you figured out, Elena,_ she chuckled mentally. Naomi was fairly certain that Elena had a thing for her royal sorcerer. _How could I not have seen this from miles away_. _Elena was always so touchy-feely with Mateo._ What made this even funnier to her was that Elena probably didn't even realise that her sorcerer has it bad for her too.

"Still, I've got to give you credit. I didn't think you'd have the guts to just kiss me," teased Naomi, all while keeping an eye out for Elena's reaction.

"D-don't phrase it that way! I barely exhaled on your neck, let alone _kiss it._ "

"I guess you could say that I took your breath away," Naomi laughed—because of her own joke and because the expressions her best friend made when the pangs of envy kick in are too fun to watch. It was already late so they eventually went their separate ways home, but Naomi resolved to see even more of her best friend's cute, pouty faces the next day.

Fast forward to the present: Naomi stood up, jumped off the wall she was sitting on, and skipped to the castle. _Today's going to be lots of fun._


	2. Chapter 2

Mateo sighed, putting down the huge box of bottles he was holding and turning to me, "Tell me what's going on, please. You're starting to creep me out." This was after a series of turning around asking me "what," with increasing anxiety each succeeding iteration. Apparently, the royal sorcerer does not take to being watched.

Mateo and I were the only ones in the dusty, bug-infested room that was the huge storage room of the sorcerer's study. Mateo was in the process of reorganising the place—I'd say I'm helping, but truthfully, the most I've done as of yet was hold the duster. I'm as neat and tidy as the next girl, but, I'm not one to actually find pleasure in chores like these; yet, I've come as soon as I could have. I was hoping to see Elena here. I expected her. I mean, if I was right about her thing for Mateo, she _should_ be happily cleaning this place up with him by now. I was in a rush to continue where I left off yesterday; trust me, bullying-err-teasing these two was so much fun that it's addicting. Unfortunately, my fun would have to wait; although, I wasn't going to let my earliness go to waste. Call it the reconnaissance before a mission: gathering intel right now would give me more "tools" to use later. I've already learned a few things just by staring at Mateo; like: did you know that he bites his lower lip for a second whenever he starts to go deep in thought? I don't know exactly how this piece of information would be useful later, but hey, I'm sure I'll be able to think of something.

Elena burst in, breathing heavily. It seemed that she went here in a hurry after whatever business she had earlier with Esteban. "So, what did I miss?" she asked with her usual, bubbly grin.

And, the game begins. "Oh, nothing," I replied, "Mateo and I were just _talking_." I winked at Mateo. I struggled to keep the corners of my lips neutral—but, on hindsight, it probably would've been even better if I had bursted out laughing. Elena would have been bugged for days wondering what I what the non-existent secret between Mateo and I was. But, I'm sure that even with just this, she'd be—

"Okay," she said, prolonging the vowels. "Need any more help? Where do you want those?" she asked, pointing to the box Mateo was holding earlier.

So, apparently, she wasn't bugged. I wondered in disbelief. Wait. Did she _not_ like- _like_ him? Or did she just decide overnight that I wasn't a "threat"? Whatever it is, it can't end now—I was just getting started! I already had half a mind made up to maybe hook them up together too. It would've been a triple-win: they get together, I get priceless entertainment and hilarious stuff on them that I wouldn't let them live down. Yep, model best friend right here.

There's one other way I could think of that might just trigger a reaction—hopefully. It's one thing for a girl to go for "your guy," but it's a different thing entirely for "your guy" to go for another girl.

"I need you to call me by a petname." I whispered as soon as Elena left with the box.

"What are you talking about, Naomi?"

"Naomi. Nao-mi. Na-Omi. Nao-MI. Na-Na—no, I'm not a nanny. Mi-Mi. No-mi. Na-Mi. Nami! That's perfect. Let's go with that." I thought aloud. "Go ahead. Try it out."

"I'm sorry. Try what out?"

"You mean, _'Try what out,_ _ **Nami**_ **?** "

"I-" I should've come up with an explanation earlier. I was just going to have to wing it. "I'm trying out a new persona!" I spouted the bull confidently. He wasn't buying it though, judging from the raised eyebrow.

"You know. It's one of those 'New me'—trends. Just trust me and play along would ya'. I promise you'd be glad you did one day."

"But it's embarrassing!"

"You think my _name_ is embarrassing?" One of the best perks of growing up around merchants and their negotiations was that you'd eventually learn how to twist conversations in your favor. I knew that I've already won.

"N-no, that wasn't what I meant."

"Great!" I grinned, "So say 'Nami.'"

He gave me a blank stare, "…Nami." He ruffled his hair with his left hand, "Do you really want—never mind."

"We're going to have to practice this until it becomes natural for you." _And so Elena could hear it._

"Are you going to have us _all_ call you Nami?"

"Y-yeah sure," I dodge, "But I'm leaning towards a 'One at time' implementation plan—know what I mean?"

"I can't be the only one calling you that!"

Then it dawned on me: "How about we _both_ do it? Do you prefer Mat or Teo?"

"Nuh-uh. What's wrong with my name?"

"Aww come on, don't be such a spoilsport," I said as I slung an arm around his neck, "Teo it is!"

Her princess business unfortunately kept Elena from getting back to us. By the time she got away from Esteban and the rest, Mateo and I had practically made the place brand new again. Gabe came soon after we had finished— _yeah_ , thanks a lot. On the bright side, the four of us all had the whole afternoon together.

The delay was actually a blessing in disguise. Guess what? The names actually stuck—like we've been using it for years. I can't even imagine calling him Mateo again anymore. Gabe had already quit giving us strange looks—and it only took a few "Were you two always this close?"-s from him. Elena was _so_ going to freak.

"I'm sorry I ditched you guys. Esteban insisted that I helped entertain his guests. You know how it is," said Elena as she approached us with a basket hanging on her arm. "I brought snacks to make up for it," she said as if asking.

I lifted the lid and took a peak inside, "Hey, my favorite!"

"And everyone else's," she added, closing the basket—but not before I was able to take a sandwich.

"Nami," Teo whined, "We just finished cleaning."

I took a bite and replied, "It's just a sandwich, Teo. And, Elena brought it here—in my book, that's pretty much princess-sanctioned permission."

" _Nami_ and _Teo_?" Elena turned to Gabe who was leaning on the side of a shelf. He gave her a shrug.

I didn't even notice that we just used the names that time—I only realized when Elena called it out. She's getting a little tense, I could tell. I'd go as far as to say _Elena likes Teo: confirmed—_ again _._

"Should I call you Teo now too?" She offered, passing it off as a joke.

Mateo groaned and immediately replied, "No thank you."

If you were looking closely enough, Teo, you would've seen the face Elena made. I laughed inwardly. It kind of reminded me of Isa pouting. On a side note—my naming sense is _not_ that bad. "Hey, _Teo_ is a great nickname."

"You made it!" he said as he flung his arms up and rolled his eyes in mock exhasperation.

"Exactly," I said, crossing my arms and grinning triumphantly. "Seriously though. It's cute." I pulled my face closer towards him which made him slightly tint pink.

"W-well then!" said Elena, stepping between Teo and me, putting her arms around our shoulders. "How's about we all walk around the village—maybe see if anyone needs help, hmm?" She grabbed Teo by his sleeves like she usually does and left with him in tow, looking back at least twice on her way out to signal that we should follow.

Did she just—No way! I chuckle to myself. Elena, you're too obvious. Of course, I knew that if I stopped my game here, they would just go back to their usual dynamic. I can't believe they don't realize—it's like they're perpetually dancing around the boundaries of their relationship, avoiding the romantic tension. Really, my two friends just need that little push—and I know just how to do it. They can thank me later.

Out on the ocean, aside from having a good fishing spot and crew, to get the jackpot you'd want to chum the waters with good bait; otherwise, you'd better get ready to wait a long time. As far as I'm concerned, Elena and Teo are already in a good spot—what's missing is the bait so they could finally get their haul out of the water.

The first step was to get them to reevaluate their relationship. They're already so stable that their getting along is just natural to them, they wouldn't even think that they probably like each other in a way a little different from platonic friendship. Teo's the easier mark—he already knows he likes her, he just needs the confidence to tell her. Elena, however, it might take a while for her to realize. If only she could see the way she pouted when Mateo didn't want her to use his nickname. Her face right then spelled right what she was thinking: "Only Naomi could call you that, huh?" The royally cheerful poise she keeps up broke instantly—and _that_ is not something you see everyday.

The plan was to build Teo's confidence and get Elena to realize that she's into him waaay more than she thinks. I really don't have to do anything more than I already am doing—I'd be doing both with my game. The only difference was that, this time, I'm not just doing it for laughs. As a member of the Grand Council, I'm doing this for her social development and overall happiness; also because it's just fun to play matchmaker for friends.

"Wait up!" I said as I raced to catch up to them. She's already let go of his arm—then it's free takings.

"Uhh, Nami?" said Teo, blushing from the prolonged contact. He'll have to get used to it 'cause I'm not letting go for the rest of the day.

Come on, Teo, you have two girls who cling to your arms every so often—I don't even know how you're still shy around women. As for Elena, who apparently stopped on her tracks a few paces ago, wide-eyed—well, she's got to figure out on her own why seeing me with Teo bothers her _that_ much.

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 **AN:** I scrapped my outline because I couldn't get myself to write out the scenes I planned—they seemed better in my head than when typed out. Now, I'm winging it. It's a miracle I even got to finish this short chapter. I hope you liked it.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Hi, back again. This one's probably never going to count as humor, but I swear that as a whole this fic is romcom.  
Malenafan: On the off chance you're still reading this, thanks for commenting on my characterization. Honestly, I didn't realize they came off as too dramatic and girly to some readers. I'm not sure how but I'll try to improve on that. I do agree that Naomi's a tell-it-as-it-is kind of girl, though; and, not-really-a-spoiler-spoiler-alert: she _is_ going to tell Mateo at some point.  
Everyone: Thanks for taking the time to review. It really helps motivate me to write despite all the schoolwork. I hope the fic won't disappoint when it ends.

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"Heya, Lana!" she said as the purple smoke around her cleared up. She was young, probably not much older than 20, and of a slender build. She had her golden blonde, shoulder-length hair tied up to a tight ponytail, revealing a single stud earring on her right lobe. By all standards, she was a fairly pretty lady. She sat on a blanket set on a small hill, not caring a bit about poise or if the skirt of her blue spring dress was riding up her leg too much—no one ever came there anyway. Her green eyes beamed, as if smiling with her lips, at the woman floating just in front of her, whose lower body was merely a dense collection of wisps coming out of the silver lamp on the girl's lap.

"Mistress Katri, how shall I serve you?" asked the genie as she descended to her master's eye-level.

"I told you, Lana, it's just Katri."

"Katri, then." Lana smiled.

"So, I've thought about it—I mean, three wishes is a lot," she said whimsically as she fiddled with the cap of her magic lamp, "See, aside from you healing my leg—thanks again by the way—I really can't think of anything else I want to wish for."

"You can wish for anything, Katri, just say the word! I can make you the best dancer in all of Mallorheim—I can give you unlimited fame, unmatched wealth, whatever you desire!"

"I've thought about that," she said as she dropped her back to the ground and stretched her limbs, "But then I thought, 'where's the fun if you don't do it yourself?'"

Lana pinched the bridge of her nose—she was getting a headache from what seemed to her as irrationality and illogicality on Katri's part. "What do you plan to do with your last two, then?"

Katri grinned, her light freckles moved with her cheeks as it went up. "I don't need them."

"But, Katri! You _have_ to use them. You can't hoard a magic lamp, I'll explode if I don't grant wishes!"

"Your _lamp_ explodes: you're just in for the ride. Buuuut, if I wish you _free_ , you can do whatever you want," Katri pointed to the book across the blanket, "I did my research."

"That's a fairytale," Lana replied in a deadpan manner.

"In case you haven't noticed, _you're a fairytale_ ," she said as she sprung back up on her feet in a single fluid motion, "I wish you were free."

Lana reluctantly snapped her fingers as she would have if she were to grant a _real_ wish. She sighed. "It was a noble thought Katri, and I thank you. But unless you give me a proper wi-"

As Lana spoke, her tail-wisp transformed into legs, and her lamp into large shackles made of an eerie, glowing, purple metal around her ankles. Lana screamed in pain as she felt as if magic was being sucked out from her very being—simultaneously, cracks appeared and gradually covered her shackles until it finally burst into pieces dissolving into a tiny rain of glitter.

Katri rushed to Lana who was panting and sprawled prone on the blanket. "Are you okay? How are you feeling? I'm so sorry, I had no idea!"

Lana, despite looking as if she had just braved through a tornado twice, actually felt a great sense of relief and elation—she didn't know why, but she just did. She _seemed_ different to herself though—even besides the temporary feeling of exhaustion—her power felt weaker, but she wasn't bothered by it, in fact it felt natural to her. She giggled, "Turns out you were right, Katri." A teardrop traced Lana's cheek—she didn't even know she wanted to be free, but now that she was, she was extremely happy. She could feel a wider range of emotion, a greater sense of sympathy. Lamps were designed to make genies wish-granting machines—it amplified their capabilities to able to conjure any wish, and it numbed them, restraining their innate aptitude for empathy so as to be able to grant without hesitation any desire no matter the intention. What was sad was that genies are not even aware of their own state while lamped.

Katri naturally became Lana's first friend. Lana, between spending her time exploring (occasionally taking Katri along) would always go back to Katri's dance academy—inherited from her late father. Lana would pretend to be human and learn dance alongside Lana's students. She couldn't help but notice the way Katri looks at the academy clerk, Niilo. He's a dear friend, a couple of years older than Katri. He was a lanky bespectacled man; he was always in a dress vest and tie no matter how hot the weather was, and his hair was unfailingly slicked back no matter the occasion. He handled all the monetary and administrative matters the academy had—he was exceptional at his job, having apprenticed in the academy since Katri's dad was in charge. He had his way about doing things; he was decisive and thorough, as if he had everything planned out even before he gets tasked to do something—and this was probably one of the many reasons why Katri was so infatuated with him. And, if Lana were to be asked, she'd wager that Niilo might have liked Katri back as well.

For a time, anyone would have said that it was certain Katri and Niilo would end up together. That is, until Milla moved in a few blocks away. Milla was the daughter of a wealthy merchant—a guild master in fact. She was a nice sort—sheltered, innocent, the picturesque princess. As fate would have it, she one day stumbled into the dance academy, forming a close friendship with both Katri and Niilo. One could only guess what happened eventually—Niilo and Milla began falling for each other.

"I'll be like a fairy godmother and grant you your happy ending," Lana resolved. It was the least she could do in exchange for her freedom—better late than never; and so, Lana bewitched Niilo. That same day, Niilo proposed to Katri—but was rejected. Katri sent him back, insisting that he wasn't himself.

In a puff of smoke, Lana appeared in front of a deeply disappointed Katri. Steams were quietly and steadily flowing down from her eyes. She was pinkish and sweaty.

"Lana, tell me the truth. You did that didn't you? Why would you do that?" she asked clutching Lana's blouse, irritation clear on her face.

"I knew how you felt about Niilo, Katri."

Katri angrily rubbed her eyes on one of her sleeves. "I didn't ask for this, Lana! You can't just toy with people like that."

Lana felt an indescribable sensation of frustration. She had granted a desire, she did her job—why was she being scolded when it only turned out badly because Katri said "no"?

"You only had to say yes, Katri. I made everything easy for you. Why didn't you just play along—"

"That's just it, Lana! I _didn't_ _want_ to play along. Sure, we'd get married, but then what? I don't want to live that lie. He's happy, Lana. Milla is his perfect match—they're each other's Leo and Estella. He'd have everything he dreamed about—he'd have a good position in a guild, he would have the money to further his studies, not to mention he'd have the perfect girl beside him for the rest of his life."

"Do you even hear yourself? Whatever happened to the confident, determined Katri? 'Perfect' this 'perfect' that; _you_ are perfect as well, Katri! Why do you always back off the moment Milla becomes concerned? Why do you assume she's better than you."

"I-I don't," she replied, taking a step back.

"You _do._ I know you like the walls of my lamp. You don't not act as such—you might not even realize it yourself; but inside you've decided that you're inferior. That bimbo only became the Estella in _your_ story because you allowed her to be. You could have claimed him if you asserted yourself."

Katri swung her arm across Lana's torso, and it passed through completely. It may not have caused physical damage, but damage _was caused_.

"They're not puppets, Lana! You can't just break them up and force Niilo to fall for me. They're my— _our_ friends. Fix _this_."

Lana flew away without replying. She was hurt—she never would have thought Katri would turn against her. The next day, Niilo came back to his senses on his own—he didn't remember anything of the time he was bewitched. All he _did_ remember was that he bought an engagement ring. Naturally, he and Milla became set to be wed. The couple went to visit Katri as soon as they got engaged to bring her the good news.

The academy was locked and no one answered the door when they knocked—it was odd. Lana, who was watching, knew that Katri never stepped foot outside the academy since their fight. She quickly rushed inside, phasing through wall after wall, to see what was going on—and she saw Katri on her bed, skin flushed and glistening with a coat of sweat. She felt too warm, but she shivered like she was cold.

"Katri!"

Woken up, she opened her eyes to a small crack. "H-heya, Lana."

"H-hold on I'll get you better in no time," Lana put her palms on Katri's torso and generated a lavender light that enveloped Katri. "Does this feel better?"

"Thanks."

Silence followed afterwards. There was an increasing sense of anxiety building within Lana. She's healing with all her might but Katri's temperature was not going down. "Katri, stay with me," she whispered.

Katri laughed softly, "It's just a fever."

Lana said nothing and continued to focus all her power on her healing. For the first time since she was freed, Lana was crying—but now, for a different reason. "Don't die, Katri." At this point Lana knew it was only a matter of time. Katri's spirit was already claimed by Death. Without the lamp, she couldn't save her—she came too late. If only she didn't have that argument with her. If she had only payed closer attention to the right details, she would have known Katri was ill.

"I never did get to compete nationally in dance," she started, "I should enter the next one; I'll dance my family's—I wonder if Niilo would still dance with me. Too bad the dance isn't solo."

"Katri…"

She continued weakly, coughing every now and then mid-sentence, "I always thought we'd go chasing that dream together—but who was I kidding, Niilo had his own dreams, and that was okay; we'd still be best friends no matter what. But, I wonder how things would've turned out if I admitted it to him—to myself. I wish I had that courage."

Lana held Katri's hand tightly with both of hers.

"Are they back together?"

"…They're getting married. They've actually come to see you earlier but you didn't answer—you couldn't."

"That's great, I'm glad. They're happy, aren't they?"

Katri smiled as tears rolled off to the floor from the side of her eyes, "Could I still have my last wish, after all?"

"Anything," Lana chuckled, "I'll even make an exception! You can have all 3 again."

"I want you to pose as me—only until 'I' move away. Attend their wedding. Give them my best regards for me."

After a second of hesitation, Lana replied offering a faint, melancholic smile, "I'll be sure to do 'Katri' justice."

"I want you to have the academy. This time teach the dance your way, _Instructor_ _Lana_. Don't let Leo and Estella die with me; they're family too. Find a place to settle your school—I'm sure you'd do great wherever you end up."

Lana swallowed, trying to get rid of the non-existing mass that seemed to be stuck in her throat.

"And," she turned her head to face Lana, "I wish you'd remember me as a friend. I'm sorry we fought."

Lana did as she was instructed, fulfilling her role as a genie one final time for her dearest friend. Over the next hundred and a half or so years she roamed around city to city—country to country; each time poofing into existence to where she was, the same academy Katri grew up on. After more than a century of moving around, Lana managed to find the perfect place for the academy—Avalor. She came just in time, right after Elena and the Royal Family was reinstated. She found a hill just like the one where Katri freed her, and she set the school there, for good if possible.

Señora Lana hung Katri's portrait in her room; she wasn't going to let it stay on the ground floor given the circumstances. She let out a deep breath as soon as she returned to the razed dance room—that bear was just too much, it's barely morning. It's already been the fourth time this week. She'd been here for months and it was perfect until that bear showed up. She floated around the room as she waved her hand back and forth in front of her. Purple sparks followed her hand as it moved around, and new ones were emitted from it to replace every glittering particle as it faded. As she did so, the ransacked room mended itself—each broken board deforming back to how it was originally, each shard of glass on the floor flew back and covered the long wall where it ultimately formed back as the dance room's mirror. "The next time the bear showed up, it would be the last time," Lana thought. She would show no mercy and send it flying to the middle of nowhere.

That afternoon, the bear came back for more. Lana was ready—but she didn't get the chance to do anything. Elena and the rest rushed to intercept the bear before it could do damage; and they quickly managed to appease the bear, sending it on its way to the forest where it probably came.

Even for the once almighty genie, having a service done to her by no other than the princess of a nation herself was a huge honor. But, what interested her more wasn't Princess Elena—it was Naomi. "She looks so similar to Katri," she thought. She took it upon herself to do whatever was necessary to stall them; she wanted to know more about Naomi. She taught them Leo and Estella. The more time she spent with the group, the more familiar they felt. She noticed the tiny interactions between members, aside from their obvious want of leaving. "He must be her Niilo, and the princess her Milla."

Her heart pounded. The situation hit too close to home. It felt so similar to her three friends. It must have been fate's way of telling her: "This is your chance to correct your error."

As the foursome left her school, Katri's words echoed in her mind: 'I wonder how things would've turned out if I admitted it to him—to myself. I wish I had that courage.'" Lana could feel it—though tiny and locked away, this "Katri" did feel something for her "Niilo."

"I'll be giving you a fourth wish after all, Katri; and, this time, I'll do it right." Lana flicked her finger flinging a bright, violet particle out of her fingertip and sent it flying towards Naomi.

"Don't worry, you won't feel any different," she whispered, "I'm just making sure that small feeling you have suppressed finds its way out in the open and becomes resolved."

* * *

 **AN:** I'm planning to alternate between Naomi POV and third-person between chapters. I'm not sure which fits me better yet. As of yet, I don't plan on writing an all out Elena vs Naomi drama. I'm striving for Faces to be a light romcom, save for this heavy-ish chapter. Hope you enjoyed!


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